Performance Enhancing Drugshttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/performance-enhancing-drugs
en-usTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:14:09 -0400Tue, 31 Mar 2015 18:14:09 -0400The latest news on Performance Enhancing Drugs from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/david-ortiz-cheating-essay-2015-3David Ortiz goes nuclear on those who think he's a cheater — and he makes some good pointshttp://www.businessinsider.com/david-ortiz-cheating-essay-2015-3
Fri, 27 Mar 2015 11:11:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/551563a2ecad04a716fe0c0b-1200-891/01-777.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p><p></p>
<p>David Ortiz has some haters.</p>
<p>He plays for the Boston Red Sox, a team that's loathed outside of its own fan base. He is cocky, he flips bats, and a lot of people think he takes too long to run the bases after a home run. But most importantly, in a sport where cheating is a sin that is second only to betting on your own team, Ortiz is <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/6152128/">confirmed to have failed a screening test</a> for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.</p>
<p>Ortiz is a large player who didn't start hitting a lot of home runs until he was well into what should have been his prime years, and then he had a resurgence late in his career after it looked like he was done.&nbsp;<span>That positive test in 2003 has been used by opposing fans as evidence that Ortiz's sudden success was the result of cheating.</span></p>
<p>In the minds of some baseball fans and commentators,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/05/07/red-sox-slugger-david-ortiz-says-hard-work-not-steroids-has-him-torrid-pace/G5lIcF9HOmUYJECJyd9zrO/story.html">including Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe</a>, Ortiz fits "all the models" of a PED user.</p>
<p>In response to those accusations, <a href="http://www.theplayerstribune.com/david-ortiz-on-the-record/">Ortiz wrote a blistering essay for Derek Jeter's website, The Players' Tribune</a>, and addressed the claim that he is a cheater.</p>
<p>To say he is upset might be an understatement.</p>
<p>"In some people's minds, I will always be considered a cheater. And that is bulls***," he wrote.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/55154f2aeab8ea9a3dfe0c0b-1200-650/02-151.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p>
<p>The problem with vilifying him for the the failed test in 2003, as pointed out by both Ortiz and others&nbsp;<a href="http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/red-sox-david-ortiz-peds-dan-shaughnessy-column-goes-too-far-051113">such Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports</a>, is that it was just a screening test. As MLB was revamping its PED testing program, the league wanted to know what players were taking so they could decide which supplements to ban. We don't know exactly what he tested positive for, his test was never intended to go public, and it carried no penalties.</p>
<p>The late-1990s and early-2000s were basically the Wild West of baseball supplements. MLB wasn't telling players what to take or what not take, and the players weren't going to stop to ask.</p>
<p>Presumably, some players tested positive for hardcore steroids during these screening tests. But there were likely a lot of things we would consider borderline supplements that were flagged also, such as androstenedione, <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2010-01-11-mcgwire-steroids_N.htm">the supplement Mark McGwire reportedly had in his locker</a>.</p>
<p>To this day, Ortiz claims he has never been told what he tested positive for.</p>
<p>Ortiz says he is glad they cleaned up the sport and wouldn't care if penalties were even stiffer than they are now.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/551563be6bb3f793408e52ec-1200-637/03-60.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p>
<p>So how did Ortiz defy the odds and become one of the best players in baseball in his late 20s and after being considered a failed prospect with the Minnesota Twins?</p>
<p>Ortiz says it was just good old fashioned hard work.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/551559b169bedd377c1ee6a3-1200-632/05-19.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p>
<p>But Ortiz knows there are some people who will always hate him no matter what he says.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/551563dd6bb3f7f73e8e52f0-1200-767/06-14.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p>
<p>Ortiz continually points out that he is tested often and all of the tests are negative.</p>
<p>The problem with that argument is that MLB players rarely fail PED tests, and yet there is still cheating in baseball. Since November 2012, only one Major Leaguer has failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs, and yet there have been numerous suspensions, the most notable of which was Alex Rodriguez. Those players were caught by other means, including documents and links to steroid distributors.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean Ortiz is guilty, but it makes the, "I've never tested positive" argument weaker.</p>
<p>The cloud of steroids is not the only reason people hate David Ortiz. They also hate what some fans perceive as a look-at-me disrespect for the game.&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Papi has some thoughts on that also.</span></p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/551555b4ecad047d5bfe0c0b-1200-682/04-30.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p>
<p>In the end, Ortiz says deserves to be in the Hall of Fame but will be okay with it if he is not.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/55155d25ecad04847cfe0c0b-1200-737/07-13.png" border="0" alt="David Ortiz Quote"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/david-ortiz-cheating-essay-2015-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-earth-would-look-like-if-ice-melted-world-map-animation-2015-2">Animated map of what Earth would look like if all the ice melted</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/chris-davis-suspended-for-failed-drug-test-2014-9One Of MLB's Biggest Sluggers Suspended For Failed Drug Testhttp://www.businessinsider.com/chris-davis-suspended-for-failed-drug-test-2014-9
Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:03:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/541315836bb3f7de789d1186-480-/chris-davis-home-run-maris-bonds-4.jpg" border="0" alt="Chris Davis Home Run Maris Bonds" width="480"></p><p>Chris Davis, who hit 53 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles last year, has been suspended 25 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for amphetamines <a href="https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/510446133978869760">according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post</a>.</p>
<p>Davis will miss the final 17 games of the regular season and won't be available for the Orioles' first eight games of the playoffs. Baltimore is leading the American League East division by 10.0 games.</p>
<p>Davis issued an apology, admitting he used Adderall, saying he had permission from MLB to use the drug last year, but not this year.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5413166b69beddac4b0793bb-918-498/9-12-2014 10-44-55 am.png" border="0" alt="Chris Davis"></p>
<p>MLB&nbsp;has come under fire in due to the large number of therapeutic-use exemptions issued by the league for Adderall and similar drugs.</p>
<p>Recently it was revealed that <a href="http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/07/01/bloodsport-excerpt-alex-rodriguez-new-york-yankees-steroids">Alex Rodriguez was given a therapeutic-use exemption by MLB to use testosterone during his 2007 MVP season</a>.</p>
<p>Davis numbers are down this year as he is hitting just .196 with 26 home runs. However, the 2013 season was his breakout season, becoming just the second player in six years to top 50 home runs in a season.</p>
<p>That performance led to wide speculation that Davis was using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).</p>
<p>During an <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9540048/baltimore-orioles-chris-davis-questioned-ped-use-successful-season-espn-magazine">interview with ESPN the Magazine</a>, Davis was emphatic that he would never use anything illegal even though he admitted to being tired and suffering through a second-half slump last season.</p>
<p>"There's nothing in my mind or body that would ever allow me to do something like that," Davis told ESPN the Magazine about the idea of using steroids.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chris-davis-suspended-for-failed-drug-test-2014-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-home-runs-steroids-2014-9Major League Baseball Has Gotten Very Good At Getting Rid Of Steroidshttp://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-home-runs-steroids-2014-9
Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:30:14 -0400Cork Gaines
<p>So far in 2014, Major League Baseball games are averaging just 1.75&nbsp; home runs per game, the lowest mark in 23 years, seven years before Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa captivated the sporting world with their historic home run chase in 1998.</p>
<p>During what we can roughly call the "steroid era," from 1994 (when home runs per game first eclipsed 2.0) and 2006 (when MLB instituted their new drug testing policy), both home runs per game and isolated power (ISO; extra base hits per at bat) skyrocketed.</p>
<p>While both stats went up in the steroid era, what is interesting is that the home runs per game increased at a faster rate than ISO (notice the space between the blue and orange lines below). This season, the space between the two lines is nearly gone for the first time in nearly a quarter-century.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5407d58169bedd7e72fb789b-800-600/01-519.png" border="0" alt="Major League Baseball Power"></p>
<p>It is hard not to imagine that this is a result of steroid testing. Unfortunately for fans, this also means less exciting baseball games with fewer home runs.</p>
<p>Fewer home runs means fewer runs, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-scoring-length-games-2014-7">which coupled with longer games means a sport</a>&nbsp;some find less exciting.</p>
<p>Nobody wants steroids in baseball. But fans do enjoy home runs. It may be time to find a way to bring the long ball back to baseball.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-home-runs-steroids-2014-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-banned-epo-alex-rodriguez-2014-7MLB Is Now Worried Players Are Taking The Super PED Used By Lance Armstronghttp://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-banned-epo-alex-rodriguez-2014-7
Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:51:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/53da5c4e6da811da5ee15124-1200-667/rtrmn3w.jpg" border="0" alt="Lance Armstrong" /></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">At some point this summer Major League Baseball quietly banned EPO, the performance-enhancing drug of choice among many Olympians and cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, and it may have been because the drug was allegedly part of Alex Rodriguez' extensive doping regimen.</span></p>
<p>This comes from Tim Elfrink and Gus Garcia-Roberts, authors of the book "Blood Sport," which detailed the doping case against Rodriguez and the Biogenesis Clinic. This latest information (<a href="https://medium.com/matter/the-untold-and-insanely-weird-story-of-a-rods-doping-habits-e888f08e012a">published at Medium.com</a>) was revealed to the authors after the book was published and comes from Tony Bosch's testimony for Major League Baseball during the case against Rodriguez.</p>
<p>According to the authors, Bosch suggested during his testimony that he provided Rodriguez with Epogen (the commercial name for EPO) by saying he used the "Conte Protocol" as part of the doping regimen. Victor Conte is the former head of Balco and spent four months in prison for distributing steroids to many well-known athletes and also worked with Barry Bonds.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/8710041/London-2012-Olympics-one-in-10-athletes-are-drugs-cheats-says-anti-doping-chief-executive.html">The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency</a> says the two most popular substances used by athletes who want to cheat are EPO and human growth hormone (HGH). Until now, EPO was never considered something that would give baseball players an advantage since it is a blood doping agent that increases endurance.</p>
<p>Elfrink and Garcia-Roberts claim that Bosch's testimony "sent baseball officials scrambling" and that the commissioners office worked with the players association to ban EPO this summer "as a direct result of Bosch's testimony."</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/53da5ac36da811d059e15124-800-533/01-445.png" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez" /><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">MLB denies this, </span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/victor-conte-denies-report-alex-rodriguez-peds-article-1.1886350">telling the New York Daily News</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> that the addition of EPO to the list of banned substances was just part of "the normal review process" that occurs every year.</span></p>
<p>Victor Conte denies that he provided A-Rod with EPO or anything else illegal.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/GGarciaRoberts">@GGarciaRoberts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@mlb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AROD">@AROD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ReadMatter">@ReadMatter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/timelfrinkmia">@timelfrinkmia</a> I never gave EPO to A-Rod. This accusation is 100% false. I'm an anti-doping advocate</p>
&mdash; Victor Conte (@VictorConte) <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorConte/statuses/494598875110711296">July 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>
<p><br />However, Bosch only testified that he and Rodriguez used the "Conte Protocol," something Conte admits is available online. <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/victor-conte-denies-report-alex-rodriguez-peds-article-1.1886350">Conte told the Daily News</a> that a set of his EPO protocols was published online in 2008.</p>
<p>While much of the focus on PEDs in baseball has been on building strength and injury recovery, it is easy to forget that players play six games a week for six months and there may be some advantage to blood doping and increasing endurance.</p>
<p>A-Rod may have been taking advantage of this and now baseball is finally reacting.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-banned-epo-alex-rodriguez-2014-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-scoring-steroid-testing-2014-4The Simple Reason Why Steroid Testing Isn't Completely To Blame For The Lack Of Scoring In Baseballhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-scoring-steroid-testing-2014-4
Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:59:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/53515915eab8ea7c57d0860c-800-/585443.jpg" border="0" alt="Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds" width="800" /></p><p></p>
<p>It's early in the 2014 season and Major League Baseball scoring is down again, and the first reaction is that drug testing and tougher penalties must be working.</p>
<p>But there is evidence that is not the entire story, and baseball should be worried.</p>
<p>There might be a more logical explanation that has nothing to do with drugs and more to do with how teams are smarter than ever.</p>
<p>One problem with blaming the lack of scoring on steroid testing is that hitters weren't the only players using performance-enhancing drugs. Many pitchers have been caught, and if hitters have stopped using, so have pitchers.</p>
<p>Still, scoring is on pace to be at its lowest level in more than 20 years, and there has been a steady decline in runs per game since the MLB expanded its drug testing in 2006.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53515ab86bb3f7d160d0860c-800-436/01b-3-1.png" border="0" alt="MLB Scoring" /></p>
<p>But if we look more closely at just power numbers being put up by hitters, we get a picture that is less clear.</p>
<p>Since 2006, Isolated Power (extra bases per at-bat; ISO) in the MLB has been on a steady decline. However, there has not been a drop in the number of home runs per fly ball (HR/FB). This suggests that fly balls are leaving the park as often as ever, and the 13.5% decline in home runs since 2006 is due to fewer fly balls and not shrinking muscles.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5351520669bedd0411c60a4a-800-445/01b-4.png" border="0" alt="MLB Power" width="800" /></p>
<p>Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon believes the lack of offensive production is due to teams playing smarter defense. Specifically, he believes offense has been hurt by the increased use of defensive metrics by teams when it comes to positioning fielders, a trend his team started several years ago (<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/jeter-makes-farewell-appearance-against-rays/2175677">via TampaBay.com</a>):</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5351533a6bb3f73f46d0860b-800-448/01-237.png" border="0" alt="Joe Maddon" width="800" /></p>
<p>Simply put, baseball teams have gotten smarter, and it's making hitting more difficult.</p>
<p>The biggest example of how teams are using defensive stats is with infield shifts. That is, when players are moved to unorthodox spots on the field when history shows certain batters are more likely to hit the ball to certain spots on the field.</p>
<p>This is a practice that was once limited to occasional use against the game's biggest sluggers, but is now a regular occurrence against many batters who show patters on where they hit the ball.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/535157726da811536549ed42-1200-600/83409234.jpg" border="0" alt="Baseball Defense" width="800" /></p>
<p>In 2011, the Rays led all teams by using 216 shifts during the season,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.billjamesonline.com">according to BillJamesOnline.com</a>, and they led by a wide margin. That season, only four teams shifted more than 100 times.</p>
<p>In 2013, the Rays shifted their infielders 466 times and didn't even lead their division. The Baltimore Orioles led all of baseball with 470 shifts, and 23 teams shifted at least 100 times.</p>
<p>This year, the Astros shifted 127 times in the first 12 games alone and are on pace for more than 1,500 shifts.</p>
<p>If we compare shifts per game to runs per game, we see a correlation that may be directly related.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/535154e269beddbd26c60a3d-800-444/01b-5.png" border="0" alt="MLB Shifts per Game" width="800" /></p>
<p>Of course, the drop in scoring began before the use of defensive shifts took off. However, in 2011 and 2012, scoring was relatively stable (it went up, from 4.28 to 4.32 r/gm).</p>
<p>Then, in 2013, scoring went down, from 3.5% to 4.17 runs per game, the second-biggest drop since the expanded steroid testing in 2006 (scoring dropping 5.0% in 2010).</p>
<p>So what we are probably seeing is a that steroid testing may have affected scoring up until 2011, and now smarter defense is making the situation even worse. The result is a lack of offense that hasn't been seen in more than 20 years.</p>
<p>That's a scary thought for Major League Baseball as it continues to fight for the attention of young sports fans who want more action.</p>
<p>When other sports see a shift too far in the direction of offense or defense, they react and make changes. If baseball doesn't want the players juiced, they need to find another way to increase scoring, and it might be time to juice the baseballs.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mlb-scoring-steroid-testing-2014-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/loophole-alex-rodriguez-arod-suspension-spring-training-2014-1Loophole Will Allow A-Rod To Play In Spring Training Despite Suspensionhttp://www.businessinsider.com/loophole-alex-rodriguez-arod-suspension-spring-training-2014-1
Mon, 13 Jan 2014 12:18:00 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b48bc86bb3f7ee42f848df-480-/alex-rodriguez-and-brian-cashman.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez and Brian Cashman" width="480" /></p><p>In a move that will be awkward for both Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez will participate in spring training despite being suspended for the entire season <a href="http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/10278277/alex-rodriguez-suspension-reduced-162-games">according to Wallace Matthews of <em>ESPNNewYork.com</em></a>.</p>
<p>Barring a reversal in court, A-Rod will miss the entire 2014 season for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy. After an arbitrator reduced A-Rod's suspension to 162 games, a spokesperson for Rodriguez told Matthews that the 3-time MVP does plan to attend spring training next month.</p>
<p>Suspensions in MLB only apply to the regular season and there have been other instances in which a player was facing an impending suspension at the start of the season and still participated in spring training. However, in those cases, the players were eventually expected to play in the regular season.</p>
<p>According to the report, if MLB tries to bar A-Rod from spring training, his representatives will argue that a final decision on the 2014 season is still up in the air as the case goes to court and A-Rod deserves the opportunity to prepare for the season just like every other player.</p>
<p>Of course, A-Rod could show up and the Yankees could let him work out with the team and not use him in games. But if that happens, it will look more and more like the Yankees were a driving force behind the year-long suspension.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/loophole-alex-rodriguez-arod-suspension-spring-training-2014-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bosch-says-he-injected-peds-into-alex-rodriguez-for-12000-a-month-2014-1Bosch Says He Injected PEDs Into Alex Rodriguez For $12,000 A Monthhttp://www.businessinsider.com/bosch-says-he-injected-peds-into-alex-rodriguez-for-12000-a-month-2014-1
Mon, 13 Jan 2014 07:29:00 -0500Steve Busfield
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52d3e390eab8eac807bd2f21-480-/alex-rodriguez-and-brian-cashman-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez and Brian Cashman" width="480" /></p><p>Anthony Bosch, the owner of the drugs clinic that supplied baseball who became Major League Baseball's star witness, says he administered drugs to Alex Rodriguez before later becoming scared for his life.</p>
<p>Bosch, the key to MLB's case against A-Rod, says he designed and administered an elaborate doping program for the 14-time All-Star that started in 2010.</p>
<p>The owner of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/aug/02/biogenesis-peds-scandal-explained">Biogenesis, the now-closed Florida anti-aging clinic</a>, said in an interview with CBS TV show "60 Minutes" that the 38-year-old sportsman paid him $12,000 per month for an assortment of banned drugs including testosterone and human growth hormone.</p>
<p>MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred said that Bosch agreed to cooperate with the investigation because he felt his life was in danger.</p>
<p>The New York Yankee slugger was banned for 211 games last August but appealed and kept playing until the end of the season. On Saturday <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/11/alex-rodriguez-suspended-for-2014-season-arbitrator-rules">Rodriguez's suspension was reduced by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz&nbsp;to 162 plus all playoff games in the 2014 season</a>, effectively the same ban minus the time A-Rod played under appeal and still the longest ever baseball doping ban.</p>
<p>The players' association said in a statement it is disappointed MLB participated in the show and is considering its legal options.</p>
<p>Commissioner Bud Selig, who did not testify during the slugger's appeal, defended the largest suspension ever handed out under the Joint Drug Agreement.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"In my judgment his actions were beyond comprehension. I think 211 games was a very fair penalty."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bosch said he began working with Rodriguez five days before the New York Yankees third baseman hit his 600th career home run on August 4, 2010. Bosch said the first words Rodriguez said to him were: "What did Manny Ramirez take in 2008 and 2009?"</p>
<p>Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug, his first of two offenses.</p>
<p>Bosch, who was once fined $5,000 for practicing medicine without a license, outlined his relationship with the three-time American League MVP. He said he designed the program to help Rodriguez maximize the effects of the drugs and remain clean in the eyes of baseball. Rodriguez never failed a test during the period in question.</p>
<p>Bosch said the duo used code words for the drugs like "gummies" for testosterone lozenges, which Rodriguez sometimes took just before games. Bosch said he once tested A-Rod's blood in the bathroom stall of a Miami restaurant.</p>
<p>Bosch also said he injected A-Rod with banned drugs because the slugger with 654 career homers was afraid of needles.</p>
<p>Bosch told "60 Minutes" he was an expert in doping who only stopped and agreed to speak up because he got caught.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Rodriguez has never failed a dope test and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He declined to appear on "60 Minutes", according to CBS News.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Bosch said in the interview:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I was very good at what I did. I had a track record. I have been doing this for many years."&nbsp;</p>
<p>"If you had the knowledge that I had, the experience that I had, and you know the truth about the testing and the flaws, it was almost a cake walk actually."&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bosch said he provided Rodriguez with steroids, human growth hormone, insulin and supplements, over several years and personally injected him with some of the banned substances.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"Alex is scared of needles, so at times, he would ask me to inject," Bosch said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Bosch said Rodriguez's target to be baseball's home run king:&nbsp;"The most important one [objective] was the 800 home run club."&nbsp;</p>
<p>The existing all-time record is 762, held by Barry Bonds, who was also investigated for using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.&nbsp;Rodriguez is fifth on the list with 654 home runs but is already running out of time to reach Bonds, let alone 800, and a year away from the game would damage his fading chances.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A-Rod will lose $25 million in salary this season although the Yankees still owe him $61 million for three more seasons, plus bonuses for reaching home run milestones after he returns from suspension.</p>
<p>Rodriguez and his lawyers argued that the critical testimony Bosch provided to MLB was not reliable because he was discredited source and only agreed to cooperate after MLB dropped a lawsuit against him and paid all his legal fees.&nbsp;</p>
<p>MLB Commissioner Bud Selig handed down the initial suspension last August against the three-time most valuable player Rodriguez over allegations of his involvement with the clinic. Thirteen other players were suspended, with 12 agreeing to 50-game suspensions and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers a 65-game ban.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2013/aug/05/mlb-players-suspended-biogenesis-ped">Of the 14 players suspended as a result of MLB's investigation into Biogenesis</a>, Rodriguez was the only one to appeal against the ban, saying that he was singled out for excessive punishment and called into question the way evidence was gathered.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Players Association said that Sunday's broadcast may have violated the privacy requirements of the Joint Drug Agreement between MLB and the players' union.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator's decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile-on against Alex Rodriguez."&nbsp;</p>
<p>"It is equally troubling that the MLB-appointed Panel Arbitrator will himself be appearing in the '60 Minutes' segment, and that Tony Bosch, MLB's principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB's blessing."&nbsp;</p>
<p>MLB responded that it had notified the players' union "on numerous occasions that we intended to respond to all of the attacks on the integrity of our Joint Drug Program.&nbsp;Those attacks continued yet again yesterday with Mr. Rodriguez's statement."&nbsp;</p>
<p>The MLB said that Bosch "is not controlled by us and is entitled to speak however he chooses about his interactions with Mr. Rodriguez."&nbsp;</p>
<!-- Guardian Watermark: internal-code/content/426908596|2014-01-13T04:12:47Z|56dcd62b693f605a6106c3041cd3934c3e0f0bda -->
<p>This article originally appeared on <a rel="canonical">guardian.co.uk</a></p>
<p><img class="nc_pixel" src="http://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT01YTRiYzIxNzdmOGQ1NGU1ZGUzMWVjMjMwNDIwZmYwNiZub25jZT0xNmQxMDIyOC0wZjg3LTQ3ZDMtYjc5NS1iZjZiMTJmZjRlOGImcHVibGlzaGVyPThjMDBmYmVlNjFkNWJjZjBjNjA5MmQ4YjkyZWJiY2Ex" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bosch-says-he-injected-peds-into-alex-rodriguez-for-12000-a-month-2014-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/another-huge-contract-for-a-steroid-user-shows-baseballs-drug-program-is-not-working-2013-11Another Huge Contract For An Accused Steroid User Shows Baseball's Drug Program Is Not Workinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/another-huge-contract-for-a-steroid-user-shows-baseballs-drug-program-is-not-working-2013-11
Tue, 26 Nov 2013 08:50:00 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5293c70169bedd0f62e01e28-480-/jhonny-peralta.jpg" border="0" alt="Jhonny Peralta" width="480" /></p><p>Free agent Jhonny Peralta has signed a 4-year, $52 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10030133/jhonny-peralta-st-louis-cardinals-agree-4-year-52-million-deal">according to Jim Bowden of ESPN</a>.</p>
<p>Peralta's new contract shows there is little deterrent to cheating in baseball as he becomes the latest baseball player to cash-in with a huge contract after being suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs. Peralta was suspended 50 games last season as part of Major League Baseball's investigation into the Biogenesis clinic.</p>
<p>Peralta was in the final year of a 3-year, $17.3 million contract that was scheduled to pay him $6 million in 2013 before he was suspended.</p>
<p>The suspension cost Peralta approximately $1.8 million. Peralta will now make an average of $13 million per year over the next four years.</p>
<p>This contract comes one year after Melky Cabrera signed a 2-year, $16 million contract with the Blue Jays after being suspended for 50 games during the 2012 season.</p>
<p>The good news is that other players are not happy which could lead to changes in the drug program and stiffer penalties:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Apparently getting suspended for PED's means you get a raise. What's stopping anyone from doing it? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23weneedtomakeachange&amp;src=hash">#weneedtomakeachange</a></p>
&mdash; David Aardsma (@TheDA53) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDA53/statuses/404465689689612289">November 24, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/another-huge-contract-for-a-steroid-user-shows-baseballs-drug-program-is-not-working-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/understanding-the-three-sides-to-the-a-rod-case-and-why-they-are-all-plausible-2013-11Understanding The Three Sides To The A-Rod Case And Why They Are All Plausiblehttp://www.businessinsider.com/understanding-the-three-sides-to-the-a-rod-case-and-why-they-are-all-plausible-2013-11
Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:17:00 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/528e47f1ecad04ca1e629bb8-480-/alex-rodriguez-38.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez" width="480" /></p><p>Alex Rodriguez's appeal of his 211-game suspension appears to be nearing a conclusion after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-rodriguez-mike-francesa-interview-2013-11">A-Rod stormed out of the hearing on Wednesday and suggested he will not testify</a>.</p>
<p>There are three main arguments that can be made for or against A-Rod. If we remove our own personal biases, they are all plausible, which is why this case is so ugly.</p>
<p>Let's make a case for each potential outcome.</p>
<p><strong>A-Rod should not be suspended at all</strong>.</p>
<p>It is easy to not like Rodriguez and he has admitted using performance-enhancing drugs in the past. So it is easy to assume that he is guilty of something. But what evidence does Major League Baseball actually have that he broke the rules and deserves to be suspended?</p>
<p>MLB investigators purchased stolen documents showing A-Rod made large payments to the Biogenesis clinic, something A-Rod does not deny happened. But does this prove A-Rod purchased performance-enhancing drugs? Isn't it possible A-Rod, a very wealthy athlete, was looking for a legal edge and was willing to pay top-dollar for it?</p>
<p>In fact, this is exactly what <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/exclusive-a-rod-dirty-secret-yankee-star-roid-gurus-article-1.1423513">BALCO founder Victor Conte said when asked about his meeting with Rodriguez in 2012</a>. According to Conte, Rodriguez came to him looking for advanced, yet legal supplements to give him an edge.</p>
<p>MLB investigators also have the testimony of the clinic's founder, Tony Bosch. However, it is clear that Bosch was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-rodriguez-investigation-gets-people-rich-2013-11">under great financial pressure to help the investigation</a>. While other suspended players have not denied receiving PEDs from Bosch, it may have been clear to Bosch that A-Rod was the prize MLB wanted.</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>A-Rod is guilty but he should only be suspended for 50 games</strong>.</p>
<p>Under the rules agreed to by MLB and the players' union, a first-time suspension is 50 games. Rodriguez has not previously been suspended by MLB for violating the drug program and he never failed a drug test.</p>
<p>MLB is arguing that Rodriguez case ultimately comes down to multiple violations and thus deserving of more than the standard first-time penalty. However, this is a dangerous precedent for MLB since, in theory, they could make that same case against all suspended players and yet MLB is only using it against A-Rod.</p>
<p>In the most famous case, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/melky-cabrera-suspension-hurt-mlb-case-against-a-rod-2013-8">Melky Cabrera produced a fake website</a> trying to show he didn't know he was taking an illegal substance and still only received a 50-game suspension. This suggests MLB is deciding when it is convenient to ignore the 50-game suspension agreement and Bud Selig either has a vendetta against A-Rod or is using A-Rod as an example to other players. If true, that is not fair to A-Rod even if he is guilty.</p>
<p><strong>A-Rod deserves every game of his suspension</strong>.</p>
<p>One of the biggest arguments against the lengthy suspension was that 211 games was an arbitrary figure that just happened to be the number of games left in the 2013 season combined with the entire 2014 season. Many have argued that throwing out an arbitrary number is unfair to A-Rod and other players that may be suspended in the future.</p>
<p>But ultimately any number above the standard 50-game suspension, and shorter than a lifetime ban was going to be arbitrary because A-Rod's case did not fit the norm and there was no precedent. So MLB had to come up with something.</p>
<p>Maybe MLB could have given a lengthier suspension. Maybe the arbitrator will decide it should be something less than 211 games. But the idea of an arbitrary number is not necessarily unfair if you believe Rodriguez's case goes above and beyond the normal steroid suspension.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/understanding-the-three-sides-to-the-a-rod-case-and-why-they-are-all-plausible-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-rodriguez-investigation-gets-people-rich-2013-11A Lot Of People Are Getting Rich Off Of The A-Rod Investigationhttp://www.businessinsider.com/alex-rodriguez-investigation-gets-people-rich-2013-11
Tue, 05 Nov 2013 09:40:00 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/527887d6eab8eaa84e8b4569-480-/alex-rodriguez-36.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez" width="480" /></p><p>The <em>New York Times </em>has taken an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/sports/baseball/in-rodriguez-arbitration-two-sides-play-hardball.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;_r=1&amp;">in-depth look at the lengths to which both Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball have gone to prove their cases </a>during the hearing to appeal A-Rod's 211-game suspension.</p>
<p>The paper calls the investigation by both sides a "cloak-and-dagger struggle surpassing anything the sport has seen."</p>
<p>One fascinating aspect of all this is just how much money both sides are willing to spend to win the war.</p>
<p>Here is a summary of the people<em> </em>that have reportedly sold their services, their knowledge, their evidence, and possibly their loyalty along the way:</p>
<ul>
<li>Rodriguez has put together an all-star lineup of lawyers. One of his lawyers, Joe Tacopina, charges <strong>$950 an hour</strong>. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/sports/baseball/in-fight-for-legacy-yankees-rodriguez-fields-costly-team-of-all-stars.html">According to sources for the <em>New York Times</em>,</a> A-Rod's team of lawyers and advisors "probably costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a month."</li>
<li>A nurse (and former Biogenesis employee) claims she had an intimate relationship with one of MLB's investigators after she was questioned in the case. According to the report, she claims representatives for A-Rod later gave her <strong>$100,000</strong> for a card signed by the investigator that came with flowers, as well as other evidence of the relationship.</li>
<li>According to testimony from the appeal, MLB officials admit that they paid a total of <strong>$125,000</strong> to a man for Biogenesis records that had been stolen from a car.</li>
<li>One of the meetings in which MLB paid for the Biogenesis records was videotaped by both sides. According to sources for the <em>New York Times</em>, representatives for Rodriguez paid <strong>$200,000</strong> for one of the videotapes.</li>
<li>In addition to hiring his own lawyers, the <em>Times</em> reports Rodriguez also paid a <strong>$25,000</strong> retainer to a lawyer that represents Anthony Bosch, the founder of Biogenesis.</li>
<li>A trainer that signed an affidavit claiming he witnessed Rodriguez being injected with performance-enhancing drugs now says he was intimidated by MLB into signing the documents. According to an MLB spokesman, the trainer informed MLB that he would no longer cooperate with their investigation two days after the affidavit was shown to Rodriguez's lawyers.&nbsp;</li>
<li>A non-profit organization, Hispanics Across America, a group who has organized the A-Rod supporters outside the appeal hearings, received a <strong>$100,000</strong> donation from an anonymous donor. A spokesman for Rodriguez denied that the money came from their camp.</li>
<li>According to the <em>Times</em>, Bud Selig hired private investigators when he grew frustrated with MLB's own investigative team.</li>
<li>While not profiting directly, Bosch is coming out ahead in this investigations. As part of his agreement to assist MLB's investigation according to the report, MLB dropped their lawsuit against Bosch, put in a good word with the Department of Justice, covered his legal and travel expenses, indemnified him from lawsuits that may be filed by players, and are even paying up to <strong>$2,400 per day</strong> to provide Bosch with personal security.</li>
</ul><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-rodriguez-investigation-gets-people-rich-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/david-ortizs-link-to-steroids-is-casting-a-dark-cloud-over-the-world-series-2013-10David Ortiz's Link To Steroids Is Casting A Dark Cloud Over The World Serieshttp://www.businessinsider.com/david-ortizs-link-to-steroids-is-casting-a-dark-cloud-over-the-world-series-2013-10
Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:57:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/526feb0a69beddfc0d8e42fa-480-/david-ortiz2.jpg" border="0" alt="David Ortiz" width="480" /></p><p>In the same season that Major League Baseball suspended 14 players for ties to Tony Bosch and the Biogenesis clinic, the World Series is now being dominated by David Ortiz, an aging player with his own link to performance-enhancing drugs.</p>
<p>In the first five games of the Fall Classic, Ortiz is 11-15 (.733) with two home runs. Not bad for a guy whose career appeared to be over four years ago.</p>
<p>While it may not be fair to speculate about how clean a player is if he has never tested positive for an illegal drug, the same can't be said for Ortiz. In 2009, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/sports/baseball/31doping.html?_r=2&amp;ref=sports&amp;">The New York Times reported that Ortiz was one of over 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.</a></p>
<p>Ortiz <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2009/08/09/ortiz_i_never_used_steroids/">denied that he ever used steroids</a> and blamed the positive test on being "careless" when using supplements he purchased over the counter. The players' association also claimed that <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/08/mlbpa_statement.html">certain supplements that were legal at the time could have triggered a positive result</a>.</p>
<p>But none of that matters to many baseball fans outside of Boston. To them, Ortiz is a cheater and there is no way to be certain he is clean now.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that none of the players associated with Biogenesis failed a drug test, suggesting that the cheaters are still well-ahead of the testers. It is also not unfair to think that there are other Tony Bosches out there and these 14 players are just the ones who got caught.</p>
<p>As much as Major League Baseball wants us to believe that steroids are no longer widespread in the sport, it is clear there is still a big problem. And here we are in the World Series and one of the sport's biggest stars, with his own links to performance-enhancing drugs, is having one of the most dominating performances ever.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and he is 37 years old.</p>
<p>The Red Sox may indeed go on to win the World Series. But when Ortiz lifts up the MVP trophy, all many fans will see is the dark cloud above it.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/david-ortizs-link-to-steroids-is-casting-a-dark-cloud-over-the-world-series-2013-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/a-rod-claims-he-was-tricked-into-using-steroids-2013-10A-Rod Claims He Was Tricked Into Using Steroidshttp://www.businessinsider.com/a-rod-claims-he-was-tricked-into-using-steroids-2013-10
Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:10:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/521518d5ecad04521b000025-480-/alex-rodriguez-30.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez" width="480" /></p><p>Alex Rodriguez is in the midst of appealing his 211-game suspension to an arbitrator and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/a-rod-tells-panel-duped-steroids-source-article-1.1473603">according to the <em>New York Daily News</em>,</a> A-Rod's defense is based at least partly on the claim that he did not know he was using banned substances.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"According to a source with knowledge of Rodriguez&rsquo;s ongoing arbitration hearings, the embattled Yankee and his lawyers have presented a case based partly on the idea that Rodriguez believed the substances he procured from the Biogenesis anti-aging clinic were innocent legal supplements."</p>
<p>This directly contradicts the testimony of Major League Baseball's key witness, Anthony Bosch, the founder of the Biogenesis clinic. MLB will also argue that amount of money A-Rod gave to the clinic as well as the secretive nature of their communications does not fit the pattern of an athlete who thought he was doing nothing wrong.</p>
<p>A-Rod's defense also aligns with recent comments made by Victor Conte, the Balco Founder who has also been linked to performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. According to Conte, Rodriguez met with Conte about obtaining performance-enhance products but that A-Rod only wanted products that were legal.</p>
<p>A-Rod's defense may also cause a problem for the MLB's case as Bosch, whom A-Rod's defense will claim is biased, is the only evidence they have to contradict A-Rod's claims. Bosch was paid for the Biogenesis evidence and MLB dropped a lawsuit based on Bosch's cooperation.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-rod-claims-he-was-tricked-into-using-steroids-2013-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/nelson-cruz-playing-in-rays-rangers-tiebreaker-2013-9Suspended Rangers Player Nelson Cruz Will Be Allowed To Play In Winner-Take-All Tiebreaker Gamehttp://www.businessinsider.com/nelson-cruz-playing-in-rays-rangers-tiebreaker-2013-9
Mon, 30 Sep 2013 10:38:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/520005e6ecad045f3f000006-480-/nelson-cruz-texas-rangers-2013.jpg" border="0" alt="nelson cruz texas rangers 2013" width="480" />With the Rangers and Rays still tied for the final AL playoff spot, the regular season has been extended by one game and suspended All-Star Nelson Cruz will play in tonight's tiebreaker game, the team announced on Sunday.</span></p>
<p><span>It was originally believed that Cruz would miss the rest of the regular season when he was suspended 50 games for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy and</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;his connection to the Biogenesis scandal. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Cruz accepted his suspension without appeal with exactly 50 games remaining in the regular season.</span></p>
<p>While the team had been mum on whether or not Cruz would be added to the roster for the postseason, they were quick to add him to the roster for the tiebreaker game once his suspension ended on Sunday. One reason may have been Cruz's success against David Price who will start for the Rays tonight. In his career, Cruz is 9-21 (.429) with three home runs against Price.</p>
<p>The winner of tonight's game will face Cleveland on Wednesday in a 1-game Wild Card series.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nelson-cruz-playing-in-rays-rangers-tiebreaker-2013-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/ryan-brauns-apology-for-using-peds-2013-8Ryan Braun's Apology For Using PEDs Raises Even More Questionshttp://www.businessinsider.com/ryan-brauns-apology-for-using-peds-2013-8
Fri, 23 Aug 2013 11:47:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52177f3469bedd2b78000049-480-/ryan-braun-8.jpg" border="0" alt="Ryan Braun" width="480" /></p><p>Ryan Braun has issued a statement attempting to explain why he was suspended by Major League Baseball and to apologize for what he termed a "serious mistakes." However, the statement will not likely satisfy fans of the game of baseball.</p>
<p>Braun begins the statement by saying he wants to "provide a more specific account" of what he did and why he feels he deserved to be suspended. While the statement is more than 900 words long, less than 50 are dedicated to what actually led to the suspension:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"During the latter part of the 2011 season, I was dealing with a nagging injury and I turned to products for a short period of time that I shouldn&rsquo;t have used. The products were a cream and a lozenge which I was told could help expedite my rehabilitation."</p>
<p>That's it.</p>
<p>Braun does not explain what the products were or how often he took them. He also doesn't say if he took performance-enhancing drugs before or after the "latter part of the 2011 season."</p>
<p>In other words, Braun wants us to believe that he only took these products, whatever they may be, the one time he got caught.</p>
<p>Braun also tries to explain when he decided to come clean:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I was never presented with baseball&rsquo;s evidence against me, but I didn&rsquo;t need to be, because I knew what I had done. I realized the magnitude of my poor decisions and finally focused on dealing with the realities of-and the punishment for-my actions. I requested a second meeting with Baseball to acknowledge my violation of the drug policy and to engage in discussions about appropriate punishment for my actions. By coming forward when I did and waiving my right to appeal any sanctions that were going to be imposed, I knew I was making the correct decision and taking the first step in the right direction."</p>
<p>Would Braun have come forward if MLB didn't have any evidence? We can all reach our own conclusions on that. But Braun certainly wants it to appear as though he essentially turned himself in based on his own guilty conscious.</p>
<p>Finally, Braun did have a one-sentence apology for the one person that probably deserved the biggest apology, test collector. It was the collector <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-ryan-braun-tried-to-convince-other-players-that-his-ped-test-collector-was-anti-semitic-2013-8">whom Braun allegedly labeled as anti-Semitic</a> and whom Braun suggested was the reason for his positive test in 2011:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I sincerely apologize to everybody involved in the arbitration process, including the collector, Dino Laurenzi, Jr."</p>
<p>However, that statement was buried in the middle of paragraph, just after saying he has already apologized to Bud Selig and others, and just before he says how terrible he feels for the position he put his teammates in.</p>
<p>In other words, it didn't feel like much of an apology at all.</p>
<p>Here is Braun's statement via the Milwaukee Brewers:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Now that the initial MLB investigation is over, I want to apologize for my actions and provide a more specific account of what I did and why I deserved to be suspended.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have no one to blame but myself. I know that over the last year and a half I made some serious mistakes, both in the information I failed to share during my arbitration hearing and the comments I made to the press afterwards.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I have disappointed the people closest to me - the ones who fought for me because they truly believed me all along. I kept the truth from everyone. For a long time, I was in denial and convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">It is important that people understand that I did not share details of what happened with anyone until recently. My family, my teammates, the Brewers organization, my friends, agents, and advisors had no knowledge of these facts, and no one should be blamed but me. Those who put their necks out for me have been embarrassed by my behavior. I don't have the words to express how sorry I am for that.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Here is what happened. During the latter part of the 2011 season, I was dealing with a nagging injury and I turned to products for a short period of time that I shouldn't have used. The products were a cream and a lozenge which I was told could help expedite my rehabilitation. It was a huge mistake for which I am deeply ashamed and I compounded the situation by not admitting my mistakes immediately.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I deeply regret many of the things I said at the press conference after the arbitrator's decision in February 2012. At that time, I still didn't want to believe that I had used a banned substance. I think a combination of feeling self righteous and having a lot of unjustified anger led me to react the way I did. I felt wronged and attacked, but looking back now, I was the one who was wrong. I am beyond embarrassed that I said what I thought I needed to say to defend my clouded vision of reality. I am just starting the process of trying to understand why I responded the way I did, which I continue to regret. There is no excuse for any of this.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&nbsp;For too long during this process, I convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong. After my interview with MLB in late June of this year, I came to the realization that it was time to come to grips with the truth. I was never presented with baseball's evidence against me, but I didn't need to be, because I knew what I had done. I realized the magnitude of my poor decisions and finally focused on dealing with the realities of-and the punishment for-my actions.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I requested a second meeting with Baseball to acknowledge my violation of the drug policy and to engage in discussions about appropriate punishment for my actions. By coming forward when I did and waiving my right to appeal any sanctions that were going to be imposed, I knew I was making the correct decision and taking the first step in the right direction. It was important to me to begin my suspension immediately to minimize the burden on everyone I had so negatively affected- my teammates, the entire Brewers organization, the fans and all of MLB. There has been plenty of rumor and speculation about my situation, and I am aware that my admission may result in additional attacks and accusations from others.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I love the great game of baseball and I am very sorry for any damage done to the game. I have privately expressed my apologies to Commissioner Selig and Rob Manfred of MLB and to Michael Weiner and his staff at the Players' Association. I'm very grateful for the support I've received from them. I sincerely apologize to everybody involved in the arbitration process, including the collector, Dino Laurenzi, Jr. I feel terrible that I put my teammates in a position where they were asked some very difficult and uncomfortable questions. One of my primary goals is to make amends with them.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I understand it's a blessing and a tremendous honor to play this game at the Major League level. I also understand the intensity of the disappointment from teammates, fans, and other players. When it comes to both my actions and my words, I made some very serious mistakes and I can only ask for the forgiveness of everyone I let down. I will never make the same errors again and I intend to share the lessons I learned with others so they don't repeat my mistakes. Moving forward, I want to be part of the solution and no longer part of the problem.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I support baseball's Joint Drug Treatment and Prevention Program and the importance of cleaning up the game. What I did goes against everything I have always valued- achieving through hard work and dedication, and being honest both on and off the field. I also understand that I will now have to work very, very hard to begin to earn back people's trust and support. I am dedicated to making amends and to earning back the trust of my teammates, the fans, the entire Brewers' organization, my sponsors, advisors and from MLB. I am hopeful that I can earn back the trust from those who I have disappointed and those who are willing to give me the opportunity. I am deeply sorry for my actions, and I apologize to everyone who has been adversely affected by them."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ryan-brauns-apology-for-using-peds-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/a-rod-will-not-be-suspended-for-any-games-this-season-2013-8A-Rod Will Not Be Suspended For Any Games This Seasonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/a-rod-will-not-be-suspended-for-any-games-this-season-2013-8
Wed, 21 Aug 2013 17:09:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51ffb1d5ecad040e20000000-480-/alex-rodriguez-new-york-yankees-2012.jpg" border="0" alt="alex rodriguez new york yankees 2012" width="480" /></p><p>If Alex Rodriguez does have to serve his suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, it won't happen this year <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/23237500/no-ending-in-sight-arod-yanks-are-stuck-with-each-other-for-2013">according to Jon Heyman of <em>CBSSports.com</em></a>.<br /><br />There are only 37 games left in the regular season for the Yankees and according to Heyman's sources, that is not enough time for the case to be argued before an arbitrator and for the arbitrator to issue his ruling. <br /><br />In fact, Major League Baseball and the players' association have yet to even set a date for the hearing. After the hearing, the arbitrator has 25 days to make a ruling.<br /><br />That means A-Rod and the Yankees are stuck with each other at least through the end of this season and possible the playoffs if the Yankees can somehow overcome their deficit in the standings.<br /><br />Heyman called November or December "a very good estimate" for when this case will finally be resolved.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-rod-will-not-be-suspended-for-any-games-this-season-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/report-ryan-braun-tried-to-convince-other-players-that-his-ped-test-collector-was-anti-semitic-2013-8Report: Ryan Braun Tried To Convince Other Players That His PED Test Collector Was Anti-Semitichttp://www.businessinsider.com/report-ryan-braun-tried-to-convince-other-players-that-his-ped-test-collector-was-anti-semitic-2013-8
Mon, 19 Aug 2013 11:41:12 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52123a90ecad049125000011-480-/ryan-braun-6.jpg" border="0" alt="Ryan Braun" width="480" /></p><p>When Ryan Braun first tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs in 2011, he contacted other players and tried to gain their support by painting the test collector as an anti-Semitic, Cubs fan, <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9579944/ryan-braun-lobbied-veteran-players-support-appeal-sources-say&amp;ex_cid=sportscenter">according to sources for Buster Olney of&nbsp;<em>ESPN.com</em></a>.</p>
<p>Braun contacted veteran players on the Brewers and other teams in the days before his appeal was ruled on by an arbitrator according to the report. During those conversations Braun allegedly told the players that he had been told that the test collector was both a Cubs fan and anti-semitic, suggesting he may have been out to get Braun, who is Jewish and plays for the Cubs' rival, the Brewers.</p>
<p>After winning his appeal, Braun held a press conference in which he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ryan-brauns-defiant-2012-ped-speech-2013-7">hinted that the collector may have tampered with the test</a>...</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"There were a lot of things that we learned about the collector, about the collection process, about the way that the entire thing worked that made us very concerned and very suspicious about what could have actually happened."</p>
<p>One of the players Braun contacted was Matt Kemp <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ryan-braun-tried-to-discredit-urine-collector-in-calls-to-mlb-stars-021053235.html">according to Jeff Passan of&nbsp;<em>Yahoo! Sports</em></a><em></em>. After Braun was suspended this season, Kemp came out and said Braun should lose his 2011 MVP award, noting that he had considered Braun a friend and that "<a href="http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/9503700/ryan-braun-lose-mvp-award-matt-kemp-says?src=mobile">a lot of people have felt betrayed</a>." Kemp finished second that season in the MVP voting.</p>
<p>If these allegations are true, it is hard to understand why Braun, who failed a test and went to more troubling lengths to cover-up his PED usage, only received a 65-game suspension while Alex Rodriguez is facing a 211-game ban.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-ryan-braun-tried-to-convince-other-players-that-his-ped-test-collector-was-anti-semitic-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/report-a-rods-leaked-ryan-braun-biogenesis-documents-2013-8Report: A-Rod's Inner Circle Leaked Documents Connecting Ryan Braun To An Alleged PED Clinichttp://www.businessinsider.com/report-a-rods-leaked-ryan-braun-biogenesis-documents-2013-8
Fri, 16 Aug 2013 09:38:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/51ffb79e6bb3f7d343000001-480-/alex-rodriguez-13.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez" width="480" /></p><p>A <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57598805/a-rod-fingered-fellow-players-in-doping-investigation/">report by "60 Minutes"</a> claims that Ryan Braun and Yankees' catcher Francisco Cervelli were only implicated in the Biogenesis scandal after associates of Alex Rodriguez leaked documents to the media.</p>
<p>The names of Braun and Cervelli were redacted in the <a href="http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2013-01-31/news/a-rod-and-doping-a-miami-clinic-supplies-drugs-to-sports-biggest-names/">documents obtained by the <em>Miami New Times</em></a>, who originally reported the link between the Biogenesis clinic, performance-enhancing drugs, and Major League Baseball players.</p>
<p>However, one week after that report, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ryan-braun-s-name-listed-in-biogenesis-clinic-records-235650670.html"><em>Yahoo! Sports </em>obtained documents without the names redacted</a>. It is believed that A-Rod's "inner circle" leaked those documents to <em>Yahoo! Sports</em>.</p>
<p>A lawyer for Rodriguez called the allegations "untrue" and there is no indication in the report that A-Rod instructed the documents to be leaked or even knew that the documents had been obtained. But this report won't do anything to change the opinion of many that A-Rod only cares about himself and will win at any cost.</p>
<p>Braun later negotiated a suspension for the remained of this season (65 games). Cervelli accepted MLB's suspension of 50 games.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-a-rods-leaked-ryan-braun-biogenesis-documents-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-do-alex-rodriguezs-home-run-rates-tell-us-how-long-he-used-steroids-2013-8CHART: Do Alex Rodriguez's Home Run Rates Tell Us How Long He Used Steroids?http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-do-alex-rodriguezs-home-run-rates-tell-us-how-long-he-used-steroids-2013-8
Tue, 06 Aug 2013 15:26:08 -0400Cork Gaines
<p>Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids from 2001 through 2003 after signing his first record contract with the Texas Rangers. While Rodriguez did hit 50 home runs for the first time in 2001, his home run rate (Home Runs per Ball in Play; HR/BIP) was similar to his last two seasons in Seattle.&nbsp;</p>
<p>His home run rate fell in 2004 when he claims he stopped using steroids (his first season with the Yankees). However, his power peaked again in 2005, and reached a career-high in 2007 when 11.4% of the balls he hit in play went over the fence.</p>
<p>In all, A-Rod has nine seasons in his career in which at least 8.5% of the balls he hit in play were home runs. And only three of those came during the years in which he admitted to using steroids.</p>
<p>We will probably never know the true extent of Alex Rodriguez's use of performance-enhancing drugs. But this chart does show that he had a number of seasons, both before and after, in which he showed a similar ability to hit home runs as when he admits to using steroids...</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52012d55eab8ea6742000002-800-/1-1589.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex Rodriguez power" width="800" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-do-alex-rodriguezs-home-run-rates-tell-us-how-long-he-used-steroids-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-ban-alex-rodriguez-for-life-steroids-2013-7If MLB Tries To Ban Alex Rodriguez For Life It Could Blow Up In Its Facehttp://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-ban-alex-rodriguez-for-life-steroids-2013-7
Mon, 29 Jul 2013 12:53:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51f68ebaeab8ea267f000006-480-/biogenesis-steroids-scandal-alex-rodriguez-anthony-bosch-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Biogenesis Steroids Scandal Alex Rodriguez Anthony Bosch" width="480" /></p><p>Alex Rodriguez is currently negotiating the length of his suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs and Major League Baseball is trying to end his career <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/deal-a-rod-faces-historic-ban-article-1.1411133">according to Bill Madden of the <em>New York Daily News</em></a>.</p>
<p>According to Madden, MLB wants Rodriguez to accept a suspension for the rest of this season and the entire 2014 season. A suspension of that length would likely end A-Rod's career but still allow him to collect the $61 million the Yankees owe him for the 2015-17 seasons.</p>
<p>If Rodriguez refuses the deal, baseball will try to suspend Rodriguez for life and he would not be able to collect any of the $95 million he is still owed.</p>
<p>But if MLB does try to suspend A-Rod for life, there is a good chance it will completely blow up in its face.</p>
<p>First of all, a lifetime ban requires three violations and Rodriguez has no previous suspensions. And no matter how much evidence MLB has there is a big risk that an arbitrator will reduce or overturn the suspension without any previous violations.</p>
<p>That would be another crushing defeat in the fight on steroids considering how much effort baseball has put into punishing Rodriguez.</p>
<p>But more importantly, a lifetime ban takes the risk of making A-Rod a sympathetic figure in the eyes of baseball fans.</p>
<p>If Rodriguez can convince the fans that he just wants to play baseball and is being punished unjustly, it could end up being yet another public relations nightmare for Bud Selig, whose reign has included many.</p>
<p>There is pressure to save the Yankees some money and to punish A-Rod. But there has to be a limit in how far MLB is willing to go and a lifetime ban, if more than just a threat, is too far.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/major-league-baseball-ban-alex-rodriguez-for-life-steroids-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/baseballs-next-generation-of-stars-will-save-the-sport-2013-7Baseball's Next Generation Of Stars Is Here To Save The Sport From Steroidshttp://www.businessinsider.com/baseballs-next-generation-of-stars-will-save-the-sport-2013-7
Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:29:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51e5a134eab8ea5f3c000008-480-/bryce-harper-15.jpg" border="0" alt="Bryce Harper" width="480" /></p><p>One of the unsung storylines of the steroid era in Major League Baseball is that ties to performance-enhancing drugs left the sport with very few superstars that casual fans could cling to.</p>
<p>Many of the top stars of the last 20 years have been linked to PEDs (e.g. Alex Rodriguez) or have been nagged by rumors of PED use (e.g. Albert Pujols). Many of the remaining stars have retired.</p>
<p>What was left, was a sport that had one true superstar that transcended the sport with no links to PEDs, Derek Jeter. And while Jeter is still a superstar, he rarely still plays at an elite level.</p>
<p>But in the last 2-3 years we have seen an influx of new young superstars that the sport has not experienced in a long time.</p>
<p>Guys like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Yasiel Puig, Matt Harvey, and Stephen Strasburg are all just starting their careers. And you can make an argument that all five are already superstars that even casual sports fans are familiar with and interested in.</p>
<p>These are guys that play the sport at a high level and whether it Harper's hair, or Puig's bat-flips, or Harvey posing nude, they do things that young fans love and old fans hate.</p>
<p>And pissing off the older fans is the secret to moving the sport of baseball forward. Those fans aren't going anywhere no matter how much they scream and yell.</p>
<p>Young sports fans will flock to superstars, especially the stars that older fans hate.</p>
<p>With teams playing six games per week, baseball is a sport that is strongest at the local level. These young superstars will bring eyes back to televisions on the national level, something that has been waning in recent years.</p>
<p>Steroids left a black mark on the sport of baseball. But as that era begins to pass, the sport once again is moving in the right direction and the next generation of stars will reinforce baseball's position on the sports landscape.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/baseballs-next-generation-of-stars-will-save-the-sport-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>